WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Peter Roskam (R-IL) and Congressman Lee Zeldin (R-NY), two co-chairs of the House Republican Israel Caucus, joined with other House colleagues in sending a letter to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs urging the panel to cut funding for further U.S. involvement in P5+1 negotiations with Iran in its Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 appropriations bill.
In their letter, the lawmakers wrote:
Over the past year, these negotiations have failed to bring us closer to a final agreement that would ensure Iran never acquires a nuclear weapons capability. The Administration has already conceded—in contradiction of six United Nations Security Council resolutions—that Iran can maintain a “peaceful” nuclear enrichment program. There is no such thing as a “peaceful” Iranian nuclear program. Meanwhile, Iran’s economy is already rebounding from billions of dollars in desperately-needed sanctions relief provided by the U.S. under the interim agreement.
The letter goes on to say:
We share the Administration’s hope for a peaceful solution to ending Iran’s quest for nuclear weapons. However, after two negotiation extensions, billions of dollars in sanctions relief, and an emerging deal that would utterly fail to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program, we should abandon these talks until Tehran is prepared to make meaningful concessions that would truly block its path to a bomb. We therefore respectfully request that you work to include the prohibition on additional funds for U.S. involvement in these ill-conceived negotiations.
The rest of the Roskam - Zeldin letter is HERE.
